Site & Page Tools

Preventing, Preparing for Critical Incidents in Schools

Ten years ago, on a sunny day in April, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Jefferson County,
Colo., and began shooting. They killed 13 people and wounded 21 others before turning the guns on themselves. The events of
that spring day mark one of the most devastating school shootings in U.S. history.[1]

Statistically, shootings and other homicides are a rare event in U.S. schools — they represent less than one percent of the
homicides among children aged 5–18. From 1999 to 2006, 116 students were killed in 109 school-associated incidents.[2]

But as those in Jefferson County know all too well, school shootings can be a very real and very frightening part of school
violence in this country. Each attack has a terrible and lasting effect on the students, school and surrounding community
— and on the nation as a whole. Even one school shooting is too many.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is working to help people who work in and around schools create safe environments
for teaching and learning. The Institute develops and distributes tools to aid teachers, administrators, staff and law enforcement
in preventing, preparing for and responding to critical incidents in schools.

A Closer Look at School Shootings

A 2002 study by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education — funded in part by NIJ — took a closer look
at 37 incidents of targeted school violence in the United States between December 1974 and May 2000.[3] "Targeted violence" — a term developed by the Secret Service — refers to any incident of violence where a known (or knowable)
attacker selected a particular target prior to the attack. The study explored the behavior of the student-attackers in the
37 incidents in an effort to identify information that could help communities prevent future school attacks.

The study found that these were rarely sudden impulsive acts. In 95 percent of the cases, the attacker had developed the idea
to harm the target before the attack. Most had access to and had used weapons prior to the incident. More than two-thirds
of the attackers obtained the guns used in the attack from their own home or that of a relative.

There is no accurate profile of a "school shooter," according to he study. The shooters came from a variety of racial and
ethnic backgrounds and ranged in age from 11 to 21 years. Some came from intact families with ties to the community; others
came from foster homes with histories of neglect. Their academic performance ranged from excellent to failing. Few had been
diagnosed with any mental disorder prior to the incident, and less than one-third had histories of drug or alcohol abuse.
Almost three quarters of the attackers (71 percent) had felt bullied, persecuted, threatened, attacked or injured by others.

What Do We Know About School Attackers?

The National Institute of Justice contributed to the funding of a study by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department
of Education that examined 37 incidents of targeted school violence in the United States between December 1974 and May 2000.
Here is what researchers learned about the attackers in those incidents:

Developed idea to harm target before attack

95 percent

Behaved in a way pre-incident that caused others concern or indicated a need for help

Prior to the incident, 93 percent of the attackers behaved in a way that caused others concern or indicated a need for help.
In fact, in more than three-fourths of the cases examined, the attacker had told a friend, schoolmate or sibling about his
idea before taking action. But rarely did the person who was told about the impending attack — in nearly all of the cases,
a peer — bring the information to an adult's attention. A 2008 follow-up study by the Secret Service and Education Department
explored how students with prior knowledge of attacks made decisions about what steps, if any, to take after learning the
information. The study found that the school's culture and misjudgments about the likelihood and immediacy of the planned
attack influenced whether the students came forward with the information.[4]

How Prepared Are Schools?

Many of the critical incidents examined in the Secret Service and Education Department study lasted no more than 20 minutes.
In fact, 47 percent lasted 15 minutes or less from the beginning of the shooting to the time the attacker was apprehended,
surrendered, stopped shooting, left the school or committed suicide; one-quarter were over within five minutes. Given the
short duration of most school attacks, it is crucial for schools to have prevention efforts and critical incident response
plans in place.

But how prepared are schools?

According to a 2006 national survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 95 percent of school
districts had a comprehensive plan to address crisis preparedness, response and recovery. Of these districts, about 82 percent
provided funding for training or offered training on the plan to faculty and staff during the two preceding years. As for
individual schools, 97 percent had a crisis preparedness, response and recovery plan, and among these schools, 87 percent
provided training on the plan to faculty and staff.[5]

How Prepared Are Our Schools?

School districts with a comprehensive plan to address crisis preparedness, response and recovery

95 percent*

Among school districts with comprehensive plans, those that provided funding for training or offered training on the plan
to faculty and staff during preceding two years

82 percent*

Schools with a crisis preparedness, response and recovery plan

97 percent*

Among schools with plans, those that provided training on plan to faculty and staff during preceding two years

87 percent*

School-based police officers who said emergency plans were not adequate

51 percent†

School-based police officers who said emergency plans were not practiced on a regular or ongoing basis

Yet in a national survey of more than 750 school-based police officers, about half of the officers said the emergency plans
for their schools were not adequate. More than 66 percent indicated that their emergency plans were not practiced on a regular
or ongoing basis.[6]

Helping Schools Prepare and Respond

NIJ makes tools and training programs available to help schools and school districts resolve conflict, manage critical incidents
and prevent school violence.

The tools and programs were developed with evidence-based practices and the recommendations of experts in NIJ's School Safety
Technology Working Group in mind, said Mike O'Shea, program manager for the Institute's school safety portfolio. "These resources
— all of which are free — can help teachers, administrators, staff and law enforcement officers prepare and respond to any
type of critical incident in their school," O'Shea said.

Here are some of these resources:

School Crime Operations PackageThis NIJ-funded software allows school-based police officers, administrators and security officers to map and analyze crime
incidents that occur in and around schools. They can enter a daily log of incidents of school violence and crime, quickly
display incidents involving a particular student and produce graphics showing school "hot spots" or year-to-year trends. For
example, a map can show where bullying incidents have occurred on a school campus. This software can help schools establish
policies for school safety, target school violence and prepare for future threats. (For more information, see www.schoolcopsoftware.comExit Notice.)

School Safety Plan GeneratorLaw enforcement officers and school staff can use this to create a document that helps prepare the school and serves as a
reference guide for all first responders during critical incidents. The document can include the school's demographics, members
of the critical incident planning team, roles and responsibilities, emergency locations, supplies and equipment on hand, and
critical lines of communication.

A Critical Incident: What to Do in the First 20 MinutesDeveloped by the North Carolina Office of the Attorney General and Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention,
this video shows a school shooter scenario. Viewers watch the school's response to the shooting and then discuss what went
right, what went wrong and how they can use the lessons learned to improve their own critical incident plans.

Incident CommanderIncident Commander uses electronic gaming software to mimic a school shooting, a chemical spill, the aftermath of a severe
storm and similar incidents so managers can practice what to do in the event any of these situations occurs. Users take the
role of the incident commander, who manages the command team. They can act alone or coordinate with a team to employ emergency
and public services. Developed by BreakAway, Ltd., with funding from NIJ, this computer simulation program also allows users
to download maps of their city, county or state, so the scenario is played where they would respond to a real-life critical
incident. (For more information, see www.incidentcommander.netExit Notice.)

Active ShooterThis NIJ-funded program — scheduled to be released later this year — will train local police on how to respond to a school
shooting. An emergency response system known as Rapid Response is first installed in a local school. The system takes surveys,
videos and photographs of the school, and creates a Web-based tool that police officers can then use in a crisis. Officers
can access the tool on their patrol car computers, get an electronic view of the school, and identify hazards, exits and vantage
points for a fast, accurate response.

To obtain any of the tools discussed in this article, e-mail NIJ program manager Mike O'Shea, or contact the Rural Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center at 866-RURAL LE (866-787-2553).

Protecting Students

In the decade since Columbine, other communities across the country — such as Blacksburg, Va.; Lancaster County, Pa.; and
Red Lake, Minn. — have experienced similar tragedies.

Schools should be places of learning and development — not violence and fear. Keeping students and schools safe should continue
to be at the top of every school administrator's and police department's agenda. NIJ's ongoing efforts will help them achieve
that goal.

NIJ Journal No. 262, March 2009NCJ 225765

About the Author

Beth Schuster is an award-winning writer and editor with more than eight years of experience in technical writing and editing, mainly in
the area of education policy. She is the managing editor of the NIJ Journal. Back to the top.